showboating

Showboating refers to ostentatious behaviour which is apparently designed to attract attention and admiration. This type of behaviour typically originates from confidence in one’s abilities which is then exaggerated to emphasize superiority over others.

The term comes from a type of riverboat that travelled throughout the southern United States in the nineteenth century. Showboats were gaudy floating theatres, heavily adorned and over-embellished, with the purpose of bringing entertainment in the form of plays or music to people that lived along the waterfront. The garish appearance of the showboats inspired a word to describe people who conduct themselves with similar flamboyance.

Showboating is pervasive in sport, where an athlete or competitor will perform over-exaggerated or outrageous actions before (or instead of) achieving their intended goal. Boxer Muhammad Ali was a famous showboater, engaging opponents with provocative moves and taunting behaviour such as daring an opponent to throw a punch. Olympic champion Usain Bolt is another sportsman notorious for his showboating. Bolt even went so far as to celebrate before crossing the finish line in the 2008 Summer Olympic 100m final, his world record time of 9.69 seconds most likely increased by his braggadocio.

President of the United States Donald Trump has stated that his decision to terminate the employment of the Director of the FBI James B. Comey was influenced by his opinion that Comey is “a showboat”.